


a breath of fresh air

by luvsyong



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Doyoung is an idiot, Drinking, Falling In Love, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Pining, Strangers to Lovers, drunk people are a prevalent theme in my fics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29575188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luvsyong/pseuds/luvsyong
Summary: there are many things doyoung could do after a breakup. he could stay in his bed and cry about it for days, he could pick up a new hobby, or he could get drunk and find someone to occupy his mind for the night.what he doesn’t expect to do, is fall wholeheartedly for his neighbor with a crinkly eyed and dimpled smile.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Comments: 3
Kudos: 141





	a breath of fresh air

doyoung should’ve seen this coming.

maybe it was the late nights with no phone calls, or the strange tension that sat in the air when doyoung was simply around his boyfriend, whom he had thought was the love of his life. (it certainly wasn’t there before). and yet, as much as doyoung did recognize that something was going wrong, he didn’t want to confront it, even if it meant walking on eggshells to keep everything from falling apart.

but, in retrospect, he has some sense of forgiveness for himself; not everybody wants to admit their relationship is dying.

he just didn’t expect for jinwoo to be the one to initiate the conversation. it was awkward, tense as always, but it a mutual feeling. jinwoo, who had so easily slid into doyoung’s life, seem to leave just as effortlessly. any traces of him in doyoung’s apartment were gone the next day, the rooms left empty and eerily silent. 

the thing is though, doyoung didn’t cry. he didn’t feel the intense emotions of sadness that one does after a breakup; after losing arguably the love of their life. instead, he felt vacant, felt as though his lack of emotion proved that their relationship wasn’t perfect from the very beginning.

instead of sadness, he feels almost empty. 

where had everything gone wrong?

  
  


“you should be grateful.” ten scoffs, rolling his eyes. doyoung would almost feel a little hurt at his response to his genuine issue, if he hadn’t known ten for many years prior. 

“in some sense, i am grateful, i think,” doyoung sighs. “but it’s weird, isn’t it? we’ve been dating for three years and when it ends i don’t even feel a tinge of sorrow, or regret.”

ten shrugs. “it seems like it was time to let go. you know, i’m envious of you, my past relationships never ended this nicely.” 

jinwoo and his relationship didn’t end nicely, doyoung thinks. 

“yeah, yeah.” he mutters.

“in all seriousness though, this leaves your options open! you’re decently attractive, and i think finding some cute twink won’t be hard for you.” ten teases, and doyoung refrains from letting out a groan. “although, i’m not available. sorry, doyoung-ie, i’m just not interested.”

“who said i was interested in you?”

“who isn’t interested in me?”

doyoung rubs his eyes tiredly. “you’re helpless. i don’t know why i still talk to you on a regular basis.”

“because, who else are you going to get snarky comments and honest replies from? not taeyong, that’s for sure.” 

and as much as doyoung wants to disagree, he can’t. ten is right, and sometimes he’s like a breath of fresh air. he offers solid advice, though it’s often laced with his sarcastic humour, and even a shoulder to cry on (which he did shut up for, the one time that doyoung had used it). 

“taeyong is just too kind for his own good.”

ten hums in agreement.  
  


the first time doyoung formally meets jaehyun, is when he’s rushing back to his apartment to find his phone. 

he had, rather stupidly, forgotten it on his kitchen island while in a rush to shove a piece of toast into his mouth. only when doyoung made it down the elevator and out his apartment complex had he realized that he was missing something quite vital. 

with a sigh and realizing he’ll already be late no matter what he does, doyoung takes a breath, and calmly locks his door behind him. (his phone is in his hand, this time.) that’s when jaehyun steps out of his door at the same time, from the apartment right next to doyoung’s. he’s wearing athletic clothing, a slim fit tee that sticks to every muscle of his perfectly. he’s tall, maybe a little taller than doyoung, and so-very-attractive.

doyoung doesn’t even realize he’s been staring, until his neighbour flashes him a wide grin. it's a blinding smile that is accompanied by dimples poking out on either side of his face.

“hi, you live next door, right?” he greets.

“yeah,” doyoung breathes, a feeling of nervousness bubbling in his chest. “that’s me.”

“weird, i don’t think i’ve ever introduced myself before,” he says, hand out for doyoung to shake. doyoung takes it in his, grip firm. “i’m jaehyun, your neighbour.”

doyoung stifles a laugh. “i didn’t know that before. i’m doyoung.”

“i hope to see you around, doyoung.”

“likewise. have fun on your run, jaehyun.”

jaehyun smiles once more, and doyoung hopes to see that sight again.

  
  


doyoung lives comfortably. he owns a bakery with his best friend taeyong, and they have a good source of income, with the bakery being fairly popular in their area. selling out of treats isn’t difficult for them, and doyoung is always grateful that taeyong asked him to be his business partner. 

he isn’t a good baker, by any means, (he can barely cook meals for himself), but he knows numbers and ‘how to run a business’, as taeyong loves to tell him. doyoung doesn’t disagree, and sometimes thinks it’s a good thing he’s here to help the elder. though, admittedly, doyoung thinks taeyong doesn’t give himself enough praise, having come up with most of the recipes of their treats by himself. 

their friends frequently visit, namely ten and johnny, who always try to snag some free food. taeyong is too kind for his own good and is usually willing, but doyoung is there as an anchor.

“pay for it or make it yourselves, you hooligans.” doyoung says, and ten scoffs.

“that’s not a very nice thing to say to your best friend, doyoung-ie.” ten singsongs, eyes glued on the cakes taeyong had made for display.

“yeah, taeyong is willing to give us something for free.” 

“i already give you guys my ‘best friend’ discount. now buy something or shoo,” 

johnny gives up and pulls out his wallet, to which ten happily squeals. taeyong’s small frame is next to him, and he goes to whisper in doyoung’s ear.

“should we just give it to them?” he asks, and doyoung waves his hand dismissively.

“we’ve given them enough free cakes and biscuits already,” doyoung says. “besides, do you want our business to go bankrupt because of these fools?”

“your business is not going to fail because i like eating taeyong’s macaroons.” ten snaps, and doyoung rolls his eyes.

“are you sure about that? you consume them in such large mass quantities it almost makes me fearful.”

“your fear is not my problem.” ten retorts.

“it is, if you’re the one causing it.” 

taeyong groans. “guys, stop bickering. i’ll give you guys some cake slices and you can sit down and eat,” 

“the wifi here is splendid, i’ll enjoy myself.” johnny grins, and him and ten go to sit at a table, letting doyoung sigh in relief.

“i swear ten causes nothing but unpleasantness. remind me why i keep him around again?” 

taeyong giggles.  
  


the second proper encounter doyoung has with jaehyun, is in the elevator up to his apartment. although he has been stealing slight glances of jaehyun as he enters and exits his apartment, he hasn’t spoken him since the very first day they met.

which, to say, was a long while ago.

“not running late this time?” jaehyun asks, breaking the silence. he has a teasing smile on his face, his voice with a playful lilt.

“nope, thankfully, my phone stayed in my pocket this time.” 

“did it run away to your apartment previously?”

doyoung lets out a laugh. “yes.”

“good to hear. i’ll keep an eye out- if your phone ever decides to come to my house too.”

doyoung finds himself enjoying jaehyun’s bad jokes.

  
  


if there’s one thing that doyoung knows about ten, it’s that he’ll never call him past 10pm unless it is an absolute _emergency._ so, when he spots his caller id light up his phone right before he’s about to go to bed, doyoung doesn’t know what to expect.

“doyoung, please help. your business partner is drunk and in my arms.” ten groans, and he can hear the little murmurs of taeyong in the background.

“and what does that have to do with me?” doyoung questions, not wanting to leave the comfortable spot he’s settled in on his bed.

“everything. he didn’t bring his keys with him so i can’t take him home, and johnny and i have stuff to do tonight.” ten explains, and doyoung’s face scrunches at the implications.

“so you’re not going to let him crash on the couch because you guys wanna fuck?” 

“basically.”

doyoung wants to slam his head into a brick wall. “stop being horny and just let him stay with you guys. i’m tired, ten.”

“please,” ten whines. “i’ll do anything. i’ll buy you lunch tomorrow. _please_.”

as much as doyoung would like to continue watching his tv show and ignore the desperate pleas of his friend through the phone, he throws on a jacket and makes his way out the door. 

“i’m literally going to kill you guys. why would you allow this if you know his alcohol tolerance is terrible?” doyoung scolds, and ten helps move taeyong into his car.

“i’ll you pay you back, doie. promise!”

“gross. don’t call me that. this is the last time i’m helping your sorry ass.” doyoung huffs, and ten smiles widely while waving them off. 

“taeyong, why did you drink so much?” doyoung asks, blinking harshly in an attempt to stay fully awake.

taeyong shifts from beside him, letting out tiny mumbles.

“yeah. if you do this again i will kill you.”

taeyong doesn’t move, be it that he’s fallen asleep, or that he’s taken doyoung’s threat seriously, doyoung doesn't know. (he'll just assume it's the latter.)

  
  


doyoung wants to slam his head into a brick wall, again. forgetting his keys to his apartment is fine, usually. he can call his landlord, let him get back into his house, and move on with his day.

forgetting his keys as the clock hits 2am with his drunk friend in his arms is _not_ fine. doyoung has patted and dug out all his pockets in an attempt to find the keys he hopefully remembered to bring and is ready to slump down in frustration. taeyong, who is blissfully unaware of what’s going on, is steadily leaning on the wall next to him.

doyoung contemplates his list of solutions. he could drive to yuta’s house, but he and yuta aren’t that close, and he feels awkward knocking on his and jungwoo’s door at such a late hour. he could go back to ten’s place, but the thought of walking in on him and johnny having sex makes doyoung shiver.

“taeyong, i’m going to kill you, why would you do this to-”

doyoung’s stressful ramble is interrupted by his neighbour’s door openly, namely jaehyun. he stops and looks at jaehyun, and jaehyun stops and looks at him. taeyong has now slid down to the floor, head tilting at an awkward angle.

“hi.” doyoung says.

jaehyun looks at taeyong before looking back at doyoung. “are you… going to kill him?”

“yes.” doyoung answers without hesitation, before his eyes widen when he realizes jaehyun was being serious. “not literally! i _am_ going to kill him for getting drunk and being dumped into my arms. i’m also going to kill him for making me forget my keys and getting me locked out of my own house in the dead of the night.” 

a smile seems to form on jaehyun’s face, and doyoung would be fuming if not for the beautiful sight of his neighbour’s dimples appearing.

“you guys could crash at my house, if you’d like.” jaehyun offers quietly, and doyoung stares at him for a few seconds.

if it were any other day, doyoung would have some sort of reluctance entering the home of an attractive neighbour he barely knows, but he has bigger problems at hand; such as the drunk man that is currently nestled on the floor. doyoung figures if he dies they both die together.

“if you don’t mind, that’d be great.”  
  


the inside of jaehyun’s apartment is unlike what doyoung thought it would be. then again, doyoung doesn’t spend all day daydreaming about what his apartment _could_ look like, so he doesn’t really know what expectations jaehyun is shattering. 

it’s clean, much cleaner than doyoung expected, and sleek. it almost looks newer than doyoung’s own apartment, and has a cozy home-y feel to it all, one that leaves traces of jaehyun behind everywhere.

“you can take your friend to the couch, if you want. sorry it’s a little small.” jaehyun says sheepishly. it is a little small for taeyong, his feet dangling off the edge, but doyoung thinks he’ll survive.

“don’t apologize, i should be the one apologizing for intruding like this.” 

jaehyun laughs, and doyoung drinks in the sight of his dimpled cheeks. “it’s no problem. it’s kinda nice having company, since i’m usually alone.”

funny, doyoung thinks. he pegs jaehyun as the type to be extremely outgoing and extroverted.

“your ideal source of companionship probably wasn’t with your neighbour whom you barely know and his drunk friend. sorry again.” doyoung apologizes, because he does feel pretty bad. if something like this had happened to him, he’s not sure how he would react. (though it probably wouldn’t be with the kindness that jaehyun offered.)

they stand awkwardly for a moment, before jaehyun gestures towards his room, a door shut in the very corner of the living room. 

“you could have the bed, if you’d like. i can sleep on the floor or in a chair or something.” jaehyun offers, and doyoung quickly shakes his head.

“as if i’d feel comfortable in your bed while you sleep on the floor. i’ll sleep on the floor or the chair- whichever works.”

truthfully, doyoung hasn’t slept in something that wasn’t his bed in a long time, and he doesn’t really know if he’ll be able to fall asleep on the hard surface of a chair.

“no, really. it’s okay, i feel bad making a guest sleep so uncomfortably.” jaehyun counters, but doyoung is still reluctant. 

“i’m hardly a guest- more like an unwanted visitor. i don’t want to trouble you, jaehyun, so i’ll be fine on the floor.” doyoung says sincerely, but jaehyun still looks unsure.

“would you- would you like to share the bed then?” jaehyun asks, and doyoung’s mouth goes dry. “o-obviously not if you’re uncomfortable, i just feel bad if you sleep anywhere but a bed. besides, my bed is pretty big, i think it can fit both you and i, but if you don’t want to that’s fine.”

there’s a light pink blush painting jaehyun’s cheeks.

“sure, let’s do that.” doyoung breathes, heart hammering in his chest. the idea of sharing a bed with someone is intimidating- doyoung hasn’t done so in a very long time. he wants to say since his break up with jinwoo, but then again, he doesn’t even remember sleeping with him in the very last months of their relationship.

doyoung is pretty much in his pyjamas already, loose grey sweatpants that hang off his hips and an oversized white shirt that he doesn’t remember buying. he’s glad he decided to wear underwear tonight, at the very least. not that he doesn’t usually. 

they both awkwardly shuffle to jaehyun’s room, and doyoung can’t help but feel like he’s intruding in his neighbour’s personal space. he doesn’t know jaehyun’s full name, his age, or anything about him really- but here he is, getting ready to sleep in the same bed with him. life works in funny ways, he thinks.

wordlessly, jaehyun pulls out a pillow from his closet. he places it in the center of the bed.

“we can- we can um, separate the bed like this.” he says quietly, and doyoung almost finds it amusing how nervous he looks; how different it is from his usual self that radiates nothing but sheer confidence. 

“that’s fine.” 

they both climb in, and jaehyun turns the lights off. his bed is a little softer and squishier than doyoung’s own, but still comfortable nonetheless. it’s easy to fall asleep, with jaehyun’s quiet inhales and exhales lulling doyoung to dreamland. 

  
  
  


doyoung wakes up to an empty bed, and then to the realization that he’s not in his _own_ bed, moments later. the thought makes him scramble to get up in panic, before memories of his previous night start settling in. doyoung can hear the sounds of food being made distantly in the kitchen, and he runs his hand through his hair in an attempt to look presentable. 

taeyong is still asleep on jaehyun’s couch, spread out in a position that doyoung knows will cause him cramps when he wakes up. 

“you’re awake! perfect, i’m almost finished breakfast.” jaehyun hums.

doyoung doesn’t make an effort to object, his empty stomach is enough of a convincing factor to try out whatever jaehyun has been frying in his pan. apparently, it’s omelettes of some kind, with toast popping out of his toaster synchronously. 

jaehyun plates it and carries them over to the table. “if you want, you can wake your friend up. he might be hungry.”

doyoung shrugs before going to shake at taeyong’s shoulder lightly. he’s always been more of a light sleeper, and doyoung is surprised he wasn’t woken up by the sounds of jaehyun in the kitchen. 

the movement is enough to wake taeyong up though, his eyes slowly blinking as he becomes conscious of his surroundings. the first look on his face is one of confusion.

“where are we?” taeyong asks, voice raspy. his breath smells faintly of alcohol and doyoung guesses that he has a headache from the way his palm rests on his forehead.

“my neighbour jaehyun’s house, who was so kind as to letting us take refuge in his home.” doyoung explains, and when taeyong turns to the person in question, jaehyun gives him a smile.

an unreadable expression takes over taeyong’s face, before jaehyun runs to the kitchen to get him a glass of water. he gulps it down in no time, huffing when he’s finished.

“thank you so much, jaehyun,” he says sincerely. “my name is taeyong. i don’t really know how i got here, but thank you anyway.” 

jaehyun nods and mutters something along the lines of _it’s no problem._

doyoung explains how they managed to wake up in a stranger’s apartment, and by the end of it, taeyong looks like he’s ready to let out a laugh.

“doie, you’re so cute, has anyone ever told you that?” taeyong asks. the randomness of the question makes doyoung flush and he playfully hits the elder.

“shut up. and, don’t call me that. don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” doyoung huffs, feeling a little embarrassed that all this is happening in front of his very attractive neighbour. (not that doyoung is trying to impress him in any sort of way. that would be ridiculous.) 

“i have to say, you’re pretty stupid for forgetting your keys at home.”

doyoung is positively fuming. “as if you’re the one who didn’t cause this mess?” 

taeyong just giggles at him and doyoung goes back to eating his omelette, cheeks red. it tastes very good, and doyoung is almost jealous at how jaehyun is seemingly good at everything he does. (and, also, extremely hot.)

“thank you for taking care of us, jaehyun. doyoung can be an idiot sometimes,” taeyong teases. “you should come to our bakery sometime! we’ll treat you as our thank you.”

jaehyun looks surprised. “you guys own a bakery?” he asks, and taeyong gives him a quick nod.

“yep! not too far from here, actually,” taeyong explains. “you might’ve seen it before, it’s a pretty popular bakery in town, not to brag.”

jaehyun chuckles. “i’ll be sure to come around,” he says as taeyong slides his business card across the table.

  
  
  


“you’re telling me you’ve been living next door to some _hunk_ and never bothered to inform me?” ten gawks. doyoung glares at him.

“he’s just my neighbour! i don’t know what you would’ve wanted me to say."

“hm, how about, ‘hey ten, i have a single hot young dude living right next to me. you should come over sometime.’” 

doyoung groans. “taeyong, i don’t know why you would tell him about this.”

“i thought he deserved to know.” taeyong laughs lightly.

“damn right i do,” ten says. “he goes on runs right? do you think we’ll catch a glimpse of him if we sit outside by your apartment complex?”

doyoung stares at ten. “we are _not_ doing that. ten, we are not a bunch of desperate teenagers.”

“my doyoung translator tells me you think it’s a great idea! well then, we’re off.”

  
  


after endless bickering and sitting outside for at least half an hour, doyoung spots jaehyun coming out of the apartment, ready to go on his run. he seems to recognize the three of them, and jogs over.

“hi, doyoung and friends.” jaehyun greets breathily.

ten gapes. “you’re beautiful.” 

“oh my god, ten, please shut up.” doyoung groans, and he already wants this conversation to end. if not for his sake then for _jaehyun’s_. 

“doyoung and friends? did you forget my name already?” taeyong teases. 

jaehyun laughs. “of course not. how could i forget the one who so generously offered treats from his bakery?”

“doyoung actually let you? i beg for free food all the time and this _cruel_ person never relents.” ten scoffs, and doyoung resists the urge to smack his friend. 

“my name is ten, by the way.” ten says, and he sticks out his hand for jaehyun to shake.

“jaehyun.” 

“pretty name for a pretty face.” ten drawls, and a rosey blush dusts jaehyun’s cheeks.

“i’m sorry for… him. you can go on with your run.” doyoung says, trying to save what little good impression jaehyun has left of him.

“already? i wanted to stare at him a little longer.” ten complains, lips coming out in a pout. ten has always been bold, and doyoung has never really minded, until _now_ , when he wants to bury himself alive.

“you can still stare at me while i run.” jaehyun offers. 

ten whistles. “great idea! off you go then.”

doyoung is nothing short of embarrassed and pissed when jaehyun has run out of sight.   
  


doyoung finds a lint roller in the deep depths of his closet when he cleans it out one day. it isn’t his, he knows that, since he never really bothered using lint rollers. 

it’s jinwoo’s.

if it were any item with more value and importance than a cheap piece of sticky plastic, doyoung would even consider returning it to its rightful owner. though he doesn’t particularly like meeting up with jinwoo (since the air is always tense and even a little awkward), he considers himself a civil person with integrity.

he, however, throws the lint roller out. maybe it’s because he knows he won’t use it, or simply doesn’t want to be reminded of that time in his life.

  
  


“doyoung-ah, did you get skinnier?” his mom asks, brows furrowing in worry. “have you not been eating proper meals? i can make you some-”

“mom, i can take care of myself, i’m in my twenties.” doyoung says with a slight laugh, shaking his head.

“ever so stubborn, aren’t you? i can tell when my son hasn’t been eating well. i’ll go make something for you,” she singsongs. “jeno is in his room, he’ll probably be excited to see you.”

doyoung makes his way up the stairs, in the house he is very familiar with. giving the door a slight knock, he pushes it open when he hears jeno’s hum of approval. 

jeno’s eyes flit to the door frame and widen excitedly when he sees the sight of his older brother.

“doyoung! you haven’t come home in so long.” 

doyoung lets out a light chuckle. “yeah, sorry. i’ve been busy with the bakery and all that.”

the lie comes out easily, but doyoung can’t help himself. he had brought jinwoo home with him a number of times in their relationship, and both jeno and his mother had grown to like him. they had thought he’d be the one for life. 

which is why doyoung has been avoiding coming home and spilling the truth; that his and jinwoo’s relationship had been anything but perfect, and now is all but a memory.

jeno looks behind doyoung expectantly, and doyoung is almost confused before he realizes who he’s looking for. “jinwoo isn’t here with me,” he explains, feet shuffling awkwardly. “we uh- broke up.”

jeno’s lips form the shape of an o. “really? i thought you really liked him.”

doyoung shrugs. “i did, but things just didn’t work out. guess i’ll need to find someone new.” doyoung says, and he’s half-joking. (it isn’t like he has someone in mind.)

“i’m sure you won’t have trouble. you’re handsome and smart, i’m surprised men aren’t throwing themselves your way everywhere you go.” jeno teases, and doyoung rolls his eyes.

“mom is probably done cooking, let’s go down and eat.”

doyoung doesn’t know why he took so long to tell his mom about his break-up, because all she reacts with is a shrug. 

“he felt a little off to me anyway.”

jeno’s mouth widens. “that is a lie, you loved him when he came over!” 

“the first few times! after that, something just felt off,” she scowls, and jeno keeps his mouth shut after that. “it is my motherly instinct.”

“doyoung-ah, there’s no rush to find someone. you’re doing so well already, and finding a handsome man for you won’t be hard. don’t worry about these things.” doyoung’s mother says sincerely, and doyoung finds comfort in her words.

“how’s your mom? how’s jeno?” taeyong inquires when doyoung gets back from his mom’s house.

“they’re both good. they didn’t react how i thought they would to the news about jinwoo and me, which is good, i think.” 

taeyong’s eyes soften. “doyoung, everyone goes through breakups. just because your relationship lasted for a few years doesn’t mean it was meant for forever, and i’m sure your family understands that.”

doyoung sighs. he tries to think if the empty relationship he had with jinwoo was better than the bitter loneliness he occasionally feels.

  
  


“you look too delicious to be alone tonight, pretty thing.” 

doyoung regrets coming to the bar with ten almost immediately. he wasn’t expecting anything when some musty guy who smelt of alcohol came over to him, but this is definitely the worst thing he could experience right now.

“‘delicious’? really?” doyoung scoffs, playing with the cup of his cocktail. he’s not a big fan of the bitter taste of beer, nor the strongness of vodka, and oftentimes finds himself sipping on colourful cocktails. they keep him sober enough to see the clarity of these situations, and drunk enough to deal with them.

“of course, since you’re good enough to eat.”

doyoung flat-out groans. “please tell your _awful_ pick-up lines to someone else.” 

luckily, he takes the hint.

doyoung spends a few more minutes sitting at the bar idly, before his eyes scan the room for wherever ten could be. not surprisingly, doyoung catches him flirting with someone who almost looks a little scared. poor thing. 

he’s debating thinking about if he’s sober enough for departure, when he feels someone plop their weight beside him. he’s growing annoyed, thinking it’s the same creep from before, and doesn’t bother turning his head before he speaks.

“i told you, i’m not interested.”

“oh? you’ve never told me that before.”

that voice definitely does _not_ belong to the man who told him he looked delicious. in fact, the voice belongs to no one other than his attractive neighbour, and doyoung tries to hide all his shock and embarrassment. his drink suddenly looks so appealing.

“i am so sorry, i thought you were someone else.” doyoung says apologetically. he’s beyond embarrassed right now, and memories of his previous encounter with jaehyun and _ten_ are not helping him by any means.

jaehyun tells the bartender his drink order before he turns to face doyoung. “must have been someone you were really uninterested in, then.”

doyoung nods. “you- you could say that,” he mumbles, feeling his confidence come back as the embarrassment washes away. “he called me delicious. of all adjectives, he chose one that is used to describe food.”

jaehyun lets out a hearty laugh. “he could’ve just said you were pretty.”

doyoung almost chokes on his drink, before letting out an awkward laugh when jaehyun watches him carefully. “yeah… that would have sufficed.” 

“actually, you’re really pretty, doyoung. do you know that?”

doyoung sputters. jaehyun is definitely not sober right now, and as if to prove it, his cheeks are a brighter shade of red than usual.

“you’re drunk.”

“drunk words are sober thoughts.” jaehyun says boldly. doyoung hopes jaehyun will forget the way he’s blushing madly right now. 

“i’m being serious right now. i really want to go out with you.” jaehyun adds, and doyoung is going to faint. 

doyoung stands up quickly. “let’s talk when you’re sober, okay?” 

  
  


that talk never comes- or, doyoung doesn’t let it come. he avoids jaehyun; avoids leaving his apartment, avoids showing his face at work and does everything at home. he even avoids going outside. 

it’s stupid, the way doyoung is acting, because a part of him knows he wants to out with jaehyun. he wants to get to know him better, get to see his dimples when he smiles and listen to his bad jokes. and yet, as stupid as it sounds, doyoung doesn’t want to let another person into his life just for them to slide right out.

when he had been in love with jinwoo, he thought jinwoo would be his forever. the bitter feeling of falling out of love and letting him go was something that doyoung didn’t want to repeat, and didn’t want to make himself vulnerable to. it’s stupid, doyoung knows that ten would be furious at him if he knew what he was doing, but he can’t help himself.

and so, he makes sure to take out his trash when he knows jaehyun is out doing his daily run. he buys groceries strictly at night nowadays, because he knows jaehyun rarely leaves his house past 8pm. (on weekdays, at the very least.) in fact, doyoung has spent so much effort carefully calculating his every move to avoid jaehyun that he thinks he might have memorized his daily routine by now. 

  
  


“jaehyun came by today, asking if you were around.” taeyong says nonchalantly. doyoung’s breath stops. 

“really? and what did you tell him?” doyoung asks, trying to sound disinterested.

“what do you think i told him, doyoung?” taeyong says, and his tone is almost tired. “i said you weren’t around and haven’t been for a while. he looked pretty disappointed.”

doyoung doesn’t say anything.

“is there something you aren’t telling me, doyoung? you know you can talk to me right?” 

taeyong’s eyes are soft.

“yeah, i know. thanks. i’m fine though, really.” doyoung assures, but he thinks he’s lying to himself too. 

at half past eight, doyoung gets ready to go to the grocery store. he’s unpleasantly interrupted by the sound of urgent knocking on the door.

opening it sluggishly, doyoung is met with ten, who looks almost angry. 

“you are so stupid, kim doyoung.” ten scowls, voice bordering on a yell. 

ten never gets like this unless doyoung has really fucked up. (which is to say, not often.) there’s a clear difference between when he is his usual impolite and teasing self, and the ten doyoung sees now, which he almost finds scary.

“to what do i owe this pleasure?” 

“maybe your fucking idiocy.”

doyoung rolls his eyes. “i’ve done nothing to provoke this type of behaviour out of you.”

“if you weren’t interested in jaehyun you could’ve just redirected him to me, and not break his little fragile heart.” ten sighs.

doyoung feigns confusion. “break his heart? i barely speak to him, how could i even do such a thing?”

“that’s the problem, you idiot. maybe he wouldn’t be coming to _me_ of all people wondering why you’re avoiding him all of a sudden.”

doyoung’s eyes widen at that. “he… talked to you?”

“is that such a strange thing? yes he did talk to me, and unfortunately it was about your pruny ass.”

“i am not sure you used that word correctly.”

“do i look like i give a fuck?” ten huffs. okay, doyoung thinks, this must be a little serious if ten is still acting this way.

“what did i do? i feel like i’m being wrongly accused.” 

“doyoung, you have jaehyun wrapped around your little finger, and you treat it like it’s nothing. if you aren’t interested in him, just tell him that, instead of avoiding him like he’s the damn plague,” ten says. “the fact that he came to me and asked what he did wrong and why you’re avoiding him? come on, doyoung, you can’t be this oblivious.” 

doyoung doesn’t want to look at ten in the face. “kinda scared.” he mumbles.

“speak up.”

“i’m kinda scared, okay? if i wasn’t enough for jinwoo to stay, who’s to say he won’t walk out of my life like that too?” doyoung says quietly.

ten’s expressions shifts from that of annoyance to pity. 

“doyoung, you’re the most hard-working person i know. if anyone deserves to be loved, it’s you. jinwoo was the wrong person at the right time; a temporary fix. you shouldn’t let that stop you from _anything_.” 

  
  


doyoung sits outside the following morning. he’s tired, the lack of sleep making his eyes burn and his brain fuzzy, but he has determination to catch the handsome man who will run past him in exactly ten minutes.

when the timer is up, he sees jaehyun walk out of their apartment with his athletic gear on. he scans his surroundings and makes eye contact with doyoung, a look of surprise flashing his face, before quickly looking away. embarrassed, he must feel, doyoung thinks. he feels horrible.

when jaehyun’s figure approaches him, he doesn’t stop running. 

“jaehyun.”

that gets his attention, and the pretty boy stops in his tracks, turning to look at doyoung. 

“yeah?” 

“will you go on a date with me?”

jaehyun’s face lights up.   
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> i started writing this four days ago, thanks to my sudden writing motivation due to all the wonderful fics ive been reading. THIS CONCEPT WAS PERFECT FOR SOEM TOOTH ROTTING FLUFF but i didnt include any so i might make like a part 2 of just that. cuz i think we're missing it. ALSO idk if i made this obv but doyoung likes jaehyun. and jaehyun likes doyoung. ok thats all
> 
> i hope u liked reading this as much as i liked writing it. dojae is arguably my favourite pairing. anyways, i might just drop this and run. or maybe ill post smn soon. hehe. keeping u on ur feet. 
> 
> comments and kudos are always appreciated! let me know your thoughts <3


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